Identifying China’s transboundary water risks and vulnerabilities – a multidisciplinary analysis using hydrological data and legal/institutional settings

This paper identifies the vulnerabilities and risks linked with China’s transboundary waters through an analysis of hydrological data and the legal and institutional settings. The risks and vulnerabilities arise in three areas: (1) serious issues of water security arise, both internally and externally, relating to water quantity and water quality; (2) transboundary waters management is hampered by weak capacity across the region; and (3) underdeveloped legal regimes, including procedural requirements for the exchange of information, prior notification and early warning mechanisms, make it difficult to realize effective international transboundary water cooperation.